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2024 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California

29 Ranked Colleges
4,553 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value EE Schools in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value EE Schools in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2020-2021, 28,166 people earned their degree in electrical engineering, making the major the 30th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 4,553 electrical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value EE Schools in California” ranking looked at 29 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great electrical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the electrical engineering program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value EE Schools in California” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value EE Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california ee students.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Electrical Engineering in California

1

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 360 ’s ee degrees to qualified students.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california ee students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value EE Schools in California. University of California - Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 729 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $16,032 for california ee students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Electrical Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 289 degrees to qualified ’s ee students in 2020-2021.

UCSD also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $15,240 for california ee students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at UCSD

4

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value EE Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #4 spot on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 161 ’s ee degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $20,677 for California EE students per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 165 ’s ee degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,054 for California EE students per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Electrical Engineering Report

6

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #6 spot on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ee degrees to 165 students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $14,304 for california ee students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

7
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking, coming in at #7. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 286 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $16,542 for california ee students.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at San Jose State University

8

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 149 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,209 for California EE students per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Full UC Irvine Electrical Engineering Report

9

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 69 diplomas to qualified ’s ee students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california ee students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Davis Electrical Engineering Report

10

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ee degrees to 152 students in 2020-2021.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $16,252 for california ee students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at University of California - Santa Barbara

11
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

With a ranking of #11, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 145 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for California EE students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full SDSU Electrical Engineering Report

12

California State University - Northridge came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 98 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,523 for California EE students per year to attend CSUN.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Northridge Electrical Engineering Report

13

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 113 degrees to qualified ’s ee students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students list, Sac State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,178 for california ee students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Sac State

14

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 129 diplomas to qualified ’s ee students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCR, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Riverside is $11,822 for California EE students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCR Electrical Engineering Report

15

California State University - Fullerton came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 73 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $8,003 for california ee students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Cal State Fullerton

16

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 36 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students list, Chico State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $16,218 for california ee students per year to attend Chico State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at California State University - Chico

17

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 78 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,930 for california ee students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UC Santa Cruz Electrical Engineering Report

18

California State University - Fresno landed the #18 spot on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $6,230 for California EE students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fresno Electrical Engineering Report

19

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking, coming in at #19. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 118 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $3,302 for California EE students per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at California State University - Los Angeles

20
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #20, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s ee degrees to 44 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california ee students list, SFSU has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $14,459 for California EE students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Electrical Engineering Report

21
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California list. SSU is a medium-sized school located in Rohnert Park, California that handed out 24 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $17,563 for California EE students per year to attend SSU.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at Sonoma State University

22
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s ee degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

National University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $20,722 for california ee students per year to attend National University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at National University

23

California State University - Bakersfield ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value EE Schools in California list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s ee students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $7,454 for California EE students per year to attend CSUB.

Read full report on Electrical Engineering at California State University - Bakersfield

24

Southern California Institute of Technology landed the #24 spot on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. Southern California Institute of Technology is a small private for-profit school situated in Anaheim, California. It awarded 45 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern California Institute of Technology is $27,063 for california ee students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Southern California Institute of Technology Electrical Engineering Report

25
Loyola Marymount crest
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, California

Loyola Marymount University landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Value EE Schools in California ranking. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 15 ’s ee degrees in 2020-2021.

Loyola Marymount also made our “Best Electrical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $44,467 for California EE students per year to attend Loyola Marymount.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Electrical Engineering at Loyola Marymount

Notes and References

References

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